Founder & President - Medical Director Emeritus

In 1988, R. Merrel Olesen, MD founded La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre (LJCSC) to meet the unique needs of the aesthetic surgery patient. He wanted to create a special place where doctors, nurses and administrative staff work as a team to not only provide quality surgical results but also a wonderful patient experience. Today, LJCSC is one of the premier cosmetic surgery practices not only in San Diego, but is known nationally for the quality of its patient care and communication.

Dr. Olesen is known for his industry-transforming work in patient and peer education. LJCSC began patient satisfaction surveys in the late 1980's and determined that cosmetic patients wanted more information and better communication. Dr. Olesen then authored informed consent and patient communication materials that have been translated into five languages and are being used by over 1100 plastic surgeons in the U.S. and around the globe. With his wife, Marie, a nationally-known cosmetic surgery consultant, Dr. Olesen authored Cosmetic Surgery For Dummies, a guidebook for cosmetic surgery consumers.

To enable La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre and other plastic surgery practices to improve patient education and communication, Dr. Olesen also founded a cosmetic surgery software and consulting company, Inform Solutions, which was acquired in 2003 by Mentor Corporation, the industry leader in aesthetic medical devices.

Prior to founding La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre, Dr. Olesen was head of Plastic Surgery at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation for eight years. He holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Medical Specialties in Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery). Dr. Olesen completed surgical residencies at the University of Michigan and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NYC. He attended medical school at Loma Linda University where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, compromised of the top 10% of medical students. Dr. Olesen, a former president of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society, has been a clinical instructor for plastic surgery at the University of California at San Diego since 1970.

Dr Olesen retired from active practice in 2005. He serves as President and Chairman of the Board at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.